Extractor and loading means for firearms



y 9, 1955 H. w. SMALLWOOD 2,713,227

EXTRACTOR AND LOADING MEANS FOR FIREARMS Filed Oct. 20, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS July 19, 1955 H. w. SMALLWOOD EXTRACTOR AND LOADING MEANS FOR FIREARMS Filed 001;. 20, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS EXERACTGR AND LOADING MEANS FOR FIREARMS Horace Will Smallwood, Four Oaks, England, assignor to Wehley 82; Scott Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Appiication Qctober 20, 1952, Serial No. 315,710

3 Claims. (Cl. 42-25) This invention relates to small-arms and more particularly is concerned with small-arms of the stationary barrel, sliding breech-bolt type and wherein the cartridges are fed singly by hand into the breech in the body or receiver of the gun.

For the better appreciation of the present invention we remark that in a known construction of the breech action of guns of the type aforesaid the extractor has the formation of a short rod adapted to fit and slide between the parallel sides of a longitudinal slot in the bottom wall of the receiver its rearward end having thereon a projection with which the bolt co-acts in the extraction operation of the mechanism and its front end an upstanding part of a half ring-like shape which provides a cradle in which the rear end of the cartridge is seated in the operation of inserting the cartridge in the breech, the rim of the cartridge being disposed at the rearward face of the cradle-like part of the extractor.

The outer periphery of the said cradle-like part of the extractor is of the appropriate curvature for fitting and sliding against the curved sides of the inner wall of the channel in the receiver, while its inner periphery has the same radius as that of the rearward part of the case of the cartridge to be seated therein, its centre of curvature being, when the extractor is assembled in the receiver, in axial alignment, or practically in axial alignment, with the axis of the bore of the barrel.

In the loading of guns of the type aforesaid it is customary when placing the cartridge in the breech to take the precaution of partially feeding it into the cartridge chamber since if this is not done there is the possibility of such movement of the cartridge taking place that its axis is moved out of true alignment with the axis of the bore of the cartridge chamber in the barrel, with the consequence that when the bolt is pressed forwardly for closing the breech and driving the cartridge home in the chamber, the cartridge is jammed between the fore end of the bolt and the rear end of the barrel.

This jamming is attended not only with the annoyance of a misfeed but also with liability to damage to the case of the cartridge.

This invention has for its object the provision in guns of the type aforesaid of means whereby the necessity of taking the precaution of partially inserting the cartridge in the cartridge chamber of the barrel when loading, is obviated, and the liability to a jam occurring is avoided or reduced to a minimum.

The invention resides in the provision of guns of the type or construction aforesaid of means whereby the cartridge when loaded into the breech with its rim end seated in the cradle-like part of the extractor, will be maintained in true alignment with the bore in the cartridge chamber while being driven home by the bolt in the closing of the breech, the said means comprising spring members adapted, on the retraction of the bolt for opening the breech, to enter into the interior of the receiver in appropriate location therein for co-operating with the extractor for the purpose specified.

2,713,227 Patented July 19, 1955 A convenient embodiment of the present invention is represented in the accompanying drawings with reference to which the invention will be further and more particularly described.

Figure 1 represents in side elevation so much of a gun or small-arm of the type to which the invention relates as is necessary for the understanding of the invention, the bolt being in the breech closing and cocked position in the said figure.

Figure 2 is a similar view, partly in section, representing the bolt in the retracted position for the opening of the breech, a cartridge, denoted by the reference C, being shown in chain dotted lines in situ in the breech in the receiver prior to being loaded into the cartridge chamber of the barrel by the breech closing operation of the bolt.

Figure 3 represents a fragmentary portion of the weapon in plan, the breech being open in the said figure.

Figure 4 is a plan of underside with the parts in the same position as in Figure 2.

Figure 5 represents the receiver in cross section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 55, in Figure 2.

Figure 6 represents one of the spring members, detached, in inner side elevation, and Figure 7 is a plan of the same.

Figure 8 represents a modified construction of spring member hereinafter more particularly described.

Fragmentary portions of the stock and trigger guard of the weapon are indicated by chain dotted lines in Figure l.

The same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the reference 9 denotes generally the body or receiver of the weapon, the said receiver having in the upper side thereof and adjoining its front end, to which end the barrel 10 is fixed, the usual longitudinally extending breech opening, denoted by the reference 9 to provide the aperture through which the cartridges are loaded, singly by hand, into position in the interior of the receiver 9, when the lever operated sliding bolt, marked 11, is in the retracted position as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

The portion of the receiver rearward of the gap 9 has the usual longitudinal slot 9 in its upper side along which slot the lugs 11 on the bolt travel in the breech opening and closing operations of the bolt 11, and the gapped part 9* is furnished in the top edge thereof at its right hand side with two notches 9 with which the lugs 11* of the bolt 11 are engaged by a partial rotation of the said bolt when it is brought into the breech closing position, thereby locking the bolt in the said position, as is well understood.

The lower or underside of the receiver has the usual parallel sided longitudinal slot 9 therein to accommodate the rod or stem 12 of the extractor, the said extractor being of the ordinary pattern having at its front end the semi-circular cradle-like part 12 in which the rearward portion of the cartridge takes a seating when loaded into the receiver, the rearward end of the stem 12 being furnished with a projection 12 with which the bolt 11 co-acts as usual to effect the rearward drawing of the extractor when the bolt is retracted for the opening of the breech.

The extractor stem 12 rests and is supported in its traversing motions on the upper face of the bar 13 which is disposed on the underside of the receiver 9 and extends longitudinally below the slot 9 therein, the said bar being attached at its front end to the receiver, its rear end which is furnished as usual with the sear 13 for retaining the bolt in its cocked condition, having pivotal connection as at 14 with the block l5 provided on the upper end of the trigger 15, which block when the trigger is pulled for the discharge of the arm co-acts with the underside of the receiver to flex the bar 13 downwardly for releasing the sear from its engagement with the cocked bolt as is well understood.

The bar 13 has a plate spring 16 in association with its front end and whereby it is held in its raised position.

According to the present invention in order to furnish. in small-arms of the type above described. means for co-operating with the cartridge extractor 12 for the pur pose aforesaid, the underside of the receiver 9 of the weapon is provided in the part thereof lying below the forward end of the breech opening 9 with a pair or short slots, marked 9 9 disposed one at each side of the longitudinally extending slot gd in the receiver, the said slots 9 permitting the protrusion into the interior of the receiver 9 of parts formed or provided on the forwardly directed ends of two resilient or spring members. denoted by the reference f7 made from steel or other resilient wire of flat or circular section. the said resilient or spring members being arranged on the underside of the receiver so as to lie thereon adjacent the respective sides of the longitudinal slot 9 aforesaid wherein the rod 12 of the extractor is located and slides.

The rear ends of the said spring members are adapted to be fixed to the receiver by screw pins 18. or are otherwise fixed thereto.

The front ends of these spring members, which ends are engaged in the respective slots 9 in the receiver, may, as is seen in the formation thereof shown in Figures 1 to 7, inclusive, be flattened and so bent relative to their rearwardly extending parts 17 as to provide the bladelike parts 1"] thereon, or the said ends may. as is shown in Figure 8, be bent to a bow-like formation, and the said end parts are formed with a straight portion. denoted by the reference 17*, at the middle parts thereof.

The straight parts 17* of the respective spring members lie parallel with each other when the front ends of the spring members are located in the slots 9 and when the said parts are protruded into the interior of the receiver are at a somewhat less distance apart than the diameter of the cartridges for which the gun is designed for use, and the said parts which, when the bolt is in the retracted position are protruded into the interior of the receiver afford a pair of rails whereon the front portion of the cartridge is supported when in the loading operation its rear end is properly seated in the cradle-like part 12*- of the extractor, and the height to which the rails will protrude into the receiver is so determined that when the cartridge is thus supported its axis is. as shown in Figure 2, in line alignment, or practically so, with the axis of the bore in the cartridge chamber of the barrel. into which it is driven home on the forward motion of the bolt 11 in the operation of closing the breech.

From the above description of the invention it will be appreciated that the necessity of effecting the partial introduction of the cartridge into the breech end of the barrel in the loading of weapons to which the invention is applied is entirely obviated and the liability to a misfeed and damage to the cartridge is entirely prevented or reduced to a minimum.

I claim:

1. Cartridge loading means for a small-arm of the type comprising a receiver having a breech opening to receive cartridges, a barrel fixed to the receiver and having a cartridge chamber at its breech open to the receiver to receive a cartridge therefrom, and a breech bolt slidable forwardly in the receiver in alignment with the barrel for driving a cartridge into the cartridge chamber and closing the breech and retractable to open the breech. an extractor having a cradle-like part aligned axially with the bore of the cartridge chamber and in which the rim end of a cartridge seats when the cartridge is inserted through the breech opening into the receiver, the extractor being slidable forwardly with the breech bolt in closing the breech of the barrel and retractable with the breech bolt in opening the breech to extract a cartridge case from the cartridge chamber, the receiver having a pair of slots in its lower portion below the axis of the bore of the cartridge chamber, and a pair of resilient members secured to the underside of the receiver and having portions which extend upwardly through said slots while the breech bolt is retracted and provide a pair of laterally spaced rails which cooperate with the cradle-like part of the extractor to support a cartridge in alignment with the axis of the bore of the cartridge chamber in the barrel.

2. A small-arm comprising a receiver having a breech opening therein to receive cartridges, 2). barrel fixed to the receiver and having a cartridge chamber in its breech for insertion of cartridges therein from the receiver, the receiver having a slot in its underside extending longitudinally of the barrel, a breech bolt slidable forwardly in the receiver in alignment with the barrel for driving a cartridge into the cartridge chamber thereof and closing the breech of the barrel, and retractable to open the breech of the barrel, an extractor slidable by the breech bolt in the slot in the underside of the receiver to drive a cartridge into the cartridge chamber during breech closing movement of the breech bolt and retractable by retraction of the breech bolt to extract a cartridge case, the extractor having a segmental cradle-like part aligned with the bore of the cartridge chamber and open at its upper side to receive the rim end of a cartridge and on which said end of the cartridge seats when the cartridge is inserted through the breech opening into the receiver while the breech bolt is retracted, the receiver having a pair of longitudinal slots in its underside at opposite sides of the slot in which the extractor is slidable, and a pair of yieldable members secured to the underside of the receiver and having portions which project upwardly through said pair of slots while the breech bolt and extractor .are retracted and align at their upper edges with the cradle-like part of the extractor, the upper edges of said upwardly projecting portions of said members providing a pair of substantially parallel laterally spaced rails on which the cartridge rests when inserted into the receiver and which cooperate with the cradle-like part of the extractor to support the cartridge in alignment with the bore of the cartridge chamber of the barrel.

3. A small-arm as defined in claim 2, wherein said yie1dable members comprise springs which extend longitudinally along the underside of the receiver and have shanks which are secured at their rear ends to the underside of the receiver at opposite sides of said slot in which the extractor is slidable, and the forward ends of said springs are bent to extend upwardly through said pair of slots in the underside of the receiver to form said laterally spaced rails.

iseferences {fi ted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS H1398 Fogerty July 25, 1871 1 479,844 .(oucky et al Aug. 23, 1949 495,384 Mulno Jan. 24, 1950 -,585.738 Chapin et al Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,175 Great Britain 1907 646.394 France July 16, 1928 

